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The First Islamist President of Egypt | Anglican Ink

Abp Mouneer is a solid and wise leader. I respect his calm and determined voice and witness. He highlights in his statement some of the key moves made by both the military and by the new president in the last couple of weeks. It is clear that there is a lot of negotiating and positioning taking place, that the military, the president, and the Muslim Brotherhood are all concerned with the balance of things going forward. The threat of another movement like the Arab Spring will certainly keep some of the leadership on edge for the foreseeable future.

More importantly to this post is the ramifications of such negotiating for the Gospel. If the posturing is so visible in public, then we can be certain that behind closed doors there is considerable pressure and anxiety. The fact that the new president has withdrawn from the Brotherhood and pledged to name a Christian vice-president (even though he could still renege on either or both matters) demonstrates his concern to at least avoid be ousted. That concern and anxiety ripples throughout the country. Whenever a country or people has experienced such tensions, there has always been an opening for the Gospel.

Thus, away from the cameras of the press, there is right now an opportunity for the Church to declare that Jesus alone brings true and lasting peace. Read with care therefore Abp Mouneer’s last full paragraph. He is publicly announcing that the Church will rise above the anxiety, and that hope of Christ remains steady and sure in the face of that anxiety. This is an attractive witness to the power of the Cross.